Girl, 7, To Be Remembered On 40th Anniversary Of Disappearance

TOLLAND — Janice Pockett, then 7, vanished while chasing a butterfly 40 years ago Friday. But to many in eastern Connecticut, her mysterious disappearance has never been forgotten.

To honor the memory of the little girl who took off on her bike from her Anthony Road home in Tolland on the afternoon of July 26 1973, a committee planning the town's 300th anniversary is dedicating a bench in her memory on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Cross Farms Recreation Complex.

"We did not want this anniversary to pass without acknowledging that it was an important event in our town's history,'' said Sharon Hiller, a member of the committee planning the anniversary celebration. "Janice will always be remembered by Tolland residents."

More than 200 people donated money to buy the bench. The biggest contribution came from Gardner & Peterson Associates, which donated $1,500.

The bench will be placed near the entrance to the recreation complex at 167 Rhodes Road, located not far from where Pockett disappeared. In 1973 the area was all woods, but is now the site of an elementary school and recreation facilities.

Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman and Mary Englebrecht, Pockett's sister, are among those expected to speak at the ceremony.

As the last surviving member of her famil,y Englebrecht has worked tirelessly to keep Pockett's case alive as well as those of other missing girls from the Tolland area from the 1970's.

Pockett's bike was found a short distance from her home and is still kept by the state police as potential evidence. Despite several searches that included thousands of volunteers, there has never been any clue as to what happened to her.

Convicted child killer named Charles Pierce from Massachusetts reportedly confessed to killing her but could never lead police to her remains. Pierce is now dead. There have been other suspects but none that have panned out.

Englebrecht, while acknowledging the-40 year-old case is difficult to solve, still holds out hope that someone knows what happened to her sister.

"I am still searching for answers and hope that someone out there knows what happened," Englebrecht said. "I appreciate the gesture to honor Janice. It is nice to know that people still remember her."